CONNECTING PEOPLE

Welcome - This blog was created to discuss the common questions and topics concerning the start-up and ongoing operations ofA Brush with Kindness and Age in Place

Saturday, July 7, 2012

A Senior Homeowners Story

One memorable senior
homeowner we’ve had the privilege to partner with is Jeannie Mae.

Jeannie
Mae lives alone in the city. Her husband passed away 5 years
ago.She
has no family town but has a loyal friend who looks in on her.Jeannie
is a retired professional who worked for a local hospital for over 40 years.

She
is also on a fixed income and receives Social Security and Medicare.

She’s
still fairly independent as she still cooks and cares for herself.She also still drives to the grocery store,
pharmacy and post office.

Jeannie
Mae gets around pretty well after hip replacement with the use of a cane

However,
because of her age, limited income and disability she has had difficulty
maintaining her home she worked so hard to acquire.

In
2010, Jeannie Mae was referred to A Brush with Kindness by a neighborhood
group.

Volunteers
and staff from Twin Cities Habitat’s A Brush with Kindness Program helped Jeannie
Mae make critical repairs and painted her home and garage.

Also,
the help came from a special guest.President
Jimmy Carter volunteered on Jeannie Mae’s home while he was in the Twin Cities
to highlight the work of Habitat.Jeannie Mae made this a reunion of sorts. When Jeannie Mae was a student
at the University of Minnesota, Former President Jimmy Carter came and spoke to
the students. At the end of the speech
he invited “Jeannie from Georgia” to join him for a cup of coffee.Carter learned that Jeannie grew up not far
from where Carter was living at the time.

With
the help of an old friend and many new ones Jeannie Mae can continue living in
a safe, healthy home.

What would happen to Jeannie Mae if we didn’t help her with home
maintenance?

When seniors can’t maintain their homes they often lose the option
of living independently. They may have to move to nursing homes or assisted
living facilities and rely on Medicaid to cover the cost. This is a very costly
option for all of us, since it costs Medicaid an average of $64,000 per year for a nursing home
stay in the metro area. Helping seniors with home restoration is a much more cost
effective solution.

Half of the homeowners we serve are seniors. So it is crucial we share their stories effectively. Not only is serving seniors an incredible way to partner with our community to preserve homes and neighborhoods it is center to our mission of helping people live in safe, healthy homes.

ABWK in the Twin Cities, MN

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Messages That Matter

It is important to find messages that comunicate the essence of your new program. The public will pick up on those messages that connect with their values. We have used "Ever have a brush with kindness?" and "Connecting people... Restoring homes" as well as key quotes and scripture that resonate with our constituents. Check out the slide show below to see quotes that have inspired our messaging.

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About Me

I founded A Brush with Kindness 20 years ago. With tremendous support from the Valspar corporation, we created a program that helped preserve homeownership throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area so that families could continue to live in a safe, healthy home. I have helped to start over 100 programs throughout the US and in several countries as a consultant with HFHI. I currently direct the Age in Place program at Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Locally, A Brush with Kindness serves about 80 families each year. Feel free to contact me for more information at plund@abwk.net.